Candlelight vigil in Bangalore over death of woman refused pregnancy termination in Ireland

Candlelight vigil in Bangalore over death of woman refused pregnancy termination in Ireland

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Last Updated: Thu, Nov 22, 2012 04:10 hrs

People in Bangalore held a candle light vigil late on Wednesday to condemn the death of woman dentist Savita Halappanavar in an Irish hospital after she was denied an abortion.

Halappanavar was admitted to University Hospital Galway in the west of Ireland in severe pain on October 21 and asked for a termination of her pregnancy after doctors told her the baby would not survive, according to her husband Praveen.

The foetus was surgically removed when its heartbeat stopped days later, but Halappanavar's family believe the delay contributed to the blood poisoning that killed the 31-year-old.

Halappanavar died of septicaemia on October 28, a week after miscarrying 17 weeks into her pregnancy.

One of the activists at the vigil, Jagdish Chandra condemned Halappanavar's death and extended support to a woman's right to decide termination of her foetus.

"Many political activists, human rights organisations, transgender activists, LGBT activists and many progressive people have unison have condemned the murder on Savita Halappanavar in Ireland. Today's protest is part of an international day of action which is organised in the entire Europe to demand legal abortion facilities for every woman in the world," said Chandra.

Abortion remains an extremely divisive issue in Ireland, an overwhelmingly Roman Catholic country, which has some of the world's most restrictive laws on medical terminations.

The Irish Government had pledged on November 15 to clarify its abortion laws after the death of Halappanavar.

The Irish health authority (HSE) has launched an inquiry, which the health minister said must "stand up to the scrutiny of the world."

Earlier, the leaders of India's main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party had met the Irish Ambassador to India, Feilim McLaughlin, in New Delhi and registered their protest. (ANI)